On September 12, we observe Southeast Asian American Equal Pay Day. Please join in on social media to raise awareness of how AAPI communities experience the wage gap and increase visibility of AAPI work and wealth disparities that are often rendered invisible in mainstream conversations about the wage gap.

CORE MESSAGEWage disparities experienced by many Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and gender non-conforming people are made invisible due to the model minority myth. AAPI communities deserve equal pay for equal work and need research, advocacy, and policies that acknowledge the diversity of needs that exist across our communities.

VISIONThe work and labor of all AAPI women and gender non-conforming people should be valued and fairly compensated—and 87% of Asian Americans agree. AAPI people deserve to be included in research, advocacy, and policy efforts to ensure that the labor of all members of our community is visible and valued.

ISSUEThe “model minority” myth creates the narrative that all Asian Americans are wealthy and successful. This myth has been used to undermine and make invisible the many people within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who do not fit that mold.

The mainstream narrative claims Asian American women make more on average than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States; however, when you disaggregate the data by ethnicity, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women actually experience some of the widest pay gaps.

While the Department of Labor recently updated their salary data collection forms to include gender and ethnicity questions, the EEO-1 form does not disaggregate “Asian” by ethnicity or disaggregate “multiracial.” It also offers limited gender identity options. As a result, there are limited means of even assessing pay inequity across AAPI ethnicities and gender identities.

SOLUTIONS

Not all AAPI people are doctors, engineers, and lawyers. We work across sectors and industries—and we demand research, advocacy, and policies that acknowledge our labor so that each member of the AAPI community can achieve pay equity and economic security.

We support comprehensive equal pay policies on the state and federal level, including the Paycheck Fairness Act.

We call for data equity and the implementation of best practices for AAPI disaggregation in pay equity research. We also call for increased gender identity options in government surveys so that disparities for AAPI transgender workers can be collected and reported.

We insist that the diversity of AAPI communities be included and made visible in pay equity research, advocacy, and policy efforts.

Southeast Asian women in the U.S. are paid, on average, only 61 cents for every dollar a white man makes. That means they lose approximately $660,000 over a lifetime! We have to do better than this. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

The #ModelMinorityMyth is good at one thing: obscuring the real data and lumping together the diverse experiences of #AAPI women. For example, did you now that Laotian women in the U.S. are paid only 60 cents for every dollar a white man makes? #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

Cambodian and Vietnamese women in the U.S. are paid, on average, only 62 cents for every dollar a white man makes. Seriously? We need to #CloseTheGap for Southeast Asian women now. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

#AAPI women make, on average, 85 cents to the white male dollar. But disaggregated data shows that average wages can vary significantly by subgroup. In order to uplift our lived experiences, we need to recognize the diversity within our community. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay 1/2

Southeast Asian American women face some of the highest pay disparities among women of color. For example, Hmong women in the U.S. are paid only 59 cents for every white male dollar -- yet these statistics often go overlooked. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay 2/2

The #ModelMinorityMyth isn’t an accurate representation of life for many #AAPIs. For instance, 18% and 27% of Cambodian and Hmong families live in poverty, respectively -- yet we rarely hear about their stories and experiences. #CloseTheGap #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

#AAPIs now have the largest wealth gap out of all racial groups. The #ModelMinorityMyth is dangerous because it erases the experiences of poor and working class AAPIs, including many Southeast Asian Americans. #CloseTheGap #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/07/12/income-inequality-in-the-u-s-is-rising-most-rapidly-among-asians/

#AAPIs are stereotyped as highly educated, but that stereotype hardly reflects reality. Among the Southeast Asian American community, only 19% of Cambodian women and 20% of Hmong women have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 44% of white women. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

Southeast Asian women are more likely to work in production, transportation, and material moving occupations #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

Vietnamese American women are overrepresented in personal care and service occupations, which include manicurists, hairstylists, childcare workers and personal care aides. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

AAPI EQUAL PAY GENERAL TWEETS

AAPI women work 2 extra months to earn what a white man earns in a year. But on #AAPIEqualPay Day, we know there is more to the story. #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

Over her career, the typical AAPI woman loses at least $292,400 to the wage gap; in some states, the situation is much worse. #AAPIEqualPay #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

46% of AAPI immigrant women participate in the labor force and they need #AAPIEqualPay. #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

AAPI women comprise 2.4% of the American workforce, but 4.4% of the low-wage workforce. They need #AAPIEqualPay and are #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

58 percent of Asian American women and 63 percent of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women are mothers with children under the age of 19. They need #AAPIEqualPay now. #SEAEqualPay

ETHNIC/DATA DISAGGREGATION TWEETS

We need more disaggregated data on our communities. The complex intersections of class, ethnicity, and race impact the economic opportunities of AAPIs -- in particular, Southeast Asian Americans. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

The Department of Education, Department of Labor, and EEOC must identify and use best practices to implement data disaggregation for the broadest number of AAPI subgroups. #AAPIs are a diverse group, and our stories deserve to be seen and heard. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay

Bhutanese and Marshallese women need to work more than 2 years to earn equivalent of a white man’s 1 year salary. That’s why we need #AAPIEqualPay. #SEAEqualPay #NotYourModelMinority

Did you know? Bhutanese women are paid 51 cents for every $1 paid to their white, nonHispanic counterparts. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay. #NotYourModelMinority

Southeast Asian American & Pacific Islander women have some of the highest wage disparities. We need #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay. #NotYourModelMinority

#DisaggregatedData shows that Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women have some of the highest wage gaps #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay #NotYourModelMinority

Today on #SEAEqualPay Day, remember that AAPI women are not one homogeneous group. Disaggregate us and you will see the real wage gap.

IMMIGRATION TWEETS

Since 1975, over a million people arrived to our country as war refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The majority had experienced trauma and arrived impoverished, which depressed their wages and created barriers to career advancement. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay 1/3“Cambodian, Laotian, and other Southeast Asian communities often migrated as refugees, arriving in the US with little in the way of financial resources or skills immediately transferrable to high paying jobs.” - @NBCNews https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/asian-american-social-class-more-complicated-data-n316616 #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay 2/3

Significant socioeconomic disparities remain to this day -- in part due to the #ModelMinorityMyth, which often renders invisible the issues that Southeast Asian Americans face. Without equal pay, many in these communities will continue to struggle. #SEAEqualPay #AAPIEqualPay 3/3

POLICY TWEETS

We support comprehensive equal pay policies on the state and federal level, including the Paycheck Fairness Act. #AAPIEqualPay #SEAEqualPay

We insist that the diversity of AAPI communities be included and made visible in pay equity research, advocacy, and policy efforts. #AAPIEqualPay #SEAEqualPay

LGBTQ TWEETS

We value the labor of AAPI women, and that’s why we support the #PaycheckFairnessAct. #AAPIEqualPay #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

In order to achieve #AAPIEqualPay, we need data that reflects our ethnicities & genders. #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

LABOR TWEETS

How can we close the pay gap? Unionize! Union women earn $231 more than women without a union voice. #AAPIEqualPay #1uAAPI #SEAEqualPay

In general, women in unions experience a smaller wage gap than women without a union. #UnionDifference #AAPIEqualPay #SEAEqualPay

Asian Americans women make 87 cents for every dollar that a white man earns, but we know there is more to the story. Today, on Asian American Equal Pay Day, we are acknowledging Bhutanese, Marshallese, Burmese, and Nepalese American women who experience some of the widest pay gaps across all other races and ethnicities. #NotYourModelMinority #AAPIEqualPay #SEAEqualPay

Join us today during Asian American Equal Pay Day as we push back against the “model minority” myth and share information about #AAPIEqualPay and the Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women who experience some of the widest pay gaps. #NotYourModelMinority #SEAEqualPay

The work and labor of all AAPI women should be valued and fairly compensated—and 87% of Asian Americans agree. AAPI people deserve to be included in research, advocacy, and policy efforts to ensure that the labor of all members of our community is visible and valued. #SEAEqualPay

Not all AAPI people are doctors, engineers, and lawyers. We work across sectors and industries—and we demand research, advocacy, and policies that acknowledge our labor so that each member of the AAPI community can achieve pay equity and economic security. #SEAEqualPay

EQUAL PAY DAY DISCUSSION GUIDE

Background on Equal Pay and the Wage Gap:

Hand out copies of NAPAWF’s Equal Pay factsheet so people can look as they arrive

Make sure that participants sign in when they arrive

If you have the equipment, you can start the discussion by showing a short video made by NAPAWF in 2016

Discussion Questions:Sharing personal experiences can be a powerful tool to help people feel connected and empowered to fight for change! To prepare, think about a story you want to tell about yourself, a friend, or a family member and how it has motivated you to get involved and stand up for equal pay.

- What surprises you and what resonates with you in the fact sheet and/or vide? Is there anything you think should have been included that was left out?- Share a story about a time or a job where you experienced unequal pay. This could be a story about… having to take unpaid time off to care for a family member, a job you quit because of sexual harassment, a job where you weren’t allowed to talk about your wages with coworkers, etc.- What is one policy change or cultural shift you think is crucial to closing the wage gap?

Take Action- Contact a member of the NAPAWF team for ways you can show support for laws that would help close the wage gap. Ask people to sign in with their information so we can keep them updated. Let them know that we will be in touch.- Don’t let the conversation end here--keep brainstorming! Are there other ways that participants want to get involved, are there other issues that they want to work on?

Sample Op-Ed 1

On September 12, we observe Southeast Asian American Equal Pay Day, because Asian American women work roughly two whole extra months to earn what a white man earns over the course of a year. But we know there is more to the story. When you disaggregate the data, Asian American and Pacific Islander women experience some of the highest wage gaps, with Bhutanese, Marshallese, Burmese, and other Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women earning less than 50 cents to the dollar.

AAPI women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people deserve to have their labor acknowledged, valued, and fairly compensated.

{Insert personal story, if you’d like}

Today, we push back against the stereotype that all Asian Americans are healthy and wealthy. AAPI workers are #NotYourModelMinority—we work across sectors and professions, and all AAPI people deserve equal pay for equal work.

When we disaggregate data we find that Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women have some of the highest wage gaps compared to other racial and ethnic groups: Vietnamese make 62 percent, Laotians make 60 percent, Cambodians make 62 percent and Hmong make 59 percent of what a white man makes. Further, Burmese women make 51 percent, Marshallese 44 percent, and Bhutanese 38 percent of what a white man makes. While we observe #AAPIEqualPay Day today, we recognize that some other Equal Pay Days that won’t occur until a full calendar year later in 2019.

For more information on pay equity for AAPI communities, read the first ever comprehensive report on the status of AAPI equal pay here.

Finally, we are still waiting for Congress to act on equal pay for equal work! Find out about the Paycheck Fairness Act here, then contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to support and sign-on as a co-sponsor to the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act. To contact your elected officials, find your Representative and Senator here, then call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (866) 220-0044.

And don’t forget to share the full story of #AAPIEqualPay #SEAEqualPay on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Sample Op-Ed 2

On September 12, we observe Southeast Asian American Equal Pay Day. Wage disparities experienced by many Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and gender non-conforming people are made invisible due to the model minority myth. AAPI communities deserve equal pay for equal work and need research, advocacy, and policies that acknowledge the diversity of needs that exist across our communities.

The work and labor of all AAPI women and gender non-conforming people should be valued and fairly compensated—and 87% of Asian Americans agree. AAPI people deserve to be included in research, advocacy, and policy efforts to ensure that the labor of all members of our community is visible and valued.

The “model minority” myth creates the narrative that all Asian Americans are wealthy and successful. This myth has been used to undermine and make invisible the many people within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who do not fit that mold.

The mainstream narrative claims Asian American women make more on average than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States; however, when you disaggregate the data by ethnicity, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander women actually experience some of the widest pay gaps.

While the Department of Labor recently updated their salary data collection forms to include gender and ethnicity questions, the EEO-1 form does not disaggregate “Asian” by ethnicity or disaggregate “multiracial.” It also offers limited gender identity options. As a result, there are limited means of even assessing pay inequity across AAPI ethnicities and gender identities.

Not all AAPI people are doctors, engineers, and lawyers. We work across sectors and industries—and we demand research, advocacy, and policies that acknowledge our labor so that each member of the AAPI community can achieve pay equity and economic security.

We support comprehensive equal pay policies on the state and federal level, including the Paycheck Fairness Act.

We call for data equity and the implementation of best practices for AAPI disaggregation in pay equity research. We also call for increased gender identity options in government surveys so that disparities for AAPI transgender workers can be collected and reported.

We insist that the diversity of AAPI communities be included and made visible in pay equity research, advocacy, and policy efforts.